


Heichou's Coffee Shop

by NumberOneEverything



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Armin Is Just Trying To Do His Job, Armin and Jean Are BFFs, Armin and Sasha are BFFs, Armin is really nice, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Brotherly Love, Coffee Shop Employee Armin Arlert, College Student Armin Arlert, College Student Eren Yeager, College Student Jean Kirstein, Cute, Cute Armin Arlert, Cute Eren Yeager, Eren Is a Little Shit, F/M, Flirty Eren Yeager, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Flustered Armin Arlert, Humor, Levi is tired, Levi needs a break, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, My dirtiest fic yet, Nothing Mature Though!!, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Still PG13, Strict Parents, Super Duper Light Angst, Supportive Sasha Blouse, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, coffee shop AU, mostly fluffy story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2019-10-22 12:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17662535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NumberOneEverything/pseuds/NumberOneEverything
Summary: Armin is just a college student, working at a small coffee shop to support himself.Eren is a hot stranger who visits the shop frequently, which would've been fine...except Eren keeps on flirting with him! Armin is sure he's going to die if Eren makes another comment about his ass.





	1. Short Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I can't really write sad eaten by titan deaths so here's a coffee shop au story.
> 
> I apologize in advance for the really cliche plot line but I swear I'll try to add a twist or whatever.
> 
>  
> 
> *****Funny story!  
> I model Armin's flustered state after my own. I don't blush easily, but when I do, I blush hardcore. My whole face burns and everyone says I look like a tomato, despite my dark skin. When I'm flustered, I fricking stutter like an anime schoolgirl. I stutter the first letters of words, repeat what I said, forget what I'm going to say, etc. I don't think clearly when I'm flustered. It's annoying and I wish I could stop it :C
> 
> Anyway, I have a funny story to tell y'all. So my school does this thing during the winter. For $1, you can choose a candy cane of any flavor and send it to a person of your choice, WITH a message on a cute card. You can write any thing, as long as it's not mean or hurtful. 
> 
> So guess what I did? I spend $3. One for my best friend, another for my sister, and one for...MY CRUSH!! 
> 
> I paid for a cherry flavored candy cane, wrote something like "I like you. Like, like like you. I love you. For like 2 years now." and when I finished writing, I threw the pen down in embarrassment. I gave the card to the person running the stands (more like slid it over the counter) and went to eat my lunch while power walking. I literally won't stop squealing "I did it! Oh gosh, I did it! I told him!" the rest of the day. I kept stuttering. During classes, I kept thinking about it and I wouldn't stop blushing. My face felt like it was on fire the entire day. My friends wouldn't stop teasing me about it. 
> 
> On the day the candy canes were sent out, my crush got his. He thought it was a prank from his brother :(
> 
> UPDATED VERSION OF THIS STORY: so if you came back (or are a new reader) and you read the previous story, I have an update on things. 
> 
> So I shared that I have a crush on a guy and I confessed anonymously through candy canes and dumb letters. Well, we started talking on Snapchat and guess what? After we flirted back and forth, I took the first move and asked him out!!
> 
> He said yeah and we started dating!! It was the happiest moment of my life. 
> 
> We didn't talk much the next day, but we shared smiles and longed to hold each other's hands except we're both not allowed to date yet so we have to keep it a secret. Except we told some of our friends and family. 
> 
> When we became public, we started to hold each others' hands and kissing and all that yucky couple stuff. 
> 
> Just barely a few hours before our SIX month anniversary he dropped a bomb on me and said he only agreed to me because he never had a gf before and he was curious on how it works and he has no feelings for me. I was de.va.sta.ted. I cried so hard that night and I actually lost sleep and didn't take care of myself and stopped eating, it got to the point where my weakened state literally got me sick and I missed a cross country meet due to it. But I managed to get over that.
> 
> The end. 
> 
> p.s. my parents never knew (though basically everyone else including our coach knew) so they just thought I was being hormonal when all that happened and didn't take me seriously. if you read my Iyasu: Kiss story, and you're wondering why I went from an update a week to waiting three (four?) whole months to update before having a wonky updating schedule, it's because of that!! 
> 
> Yeah my life sounds like an angsty fanfic. First, there's the slow burn (I did crush on him for nearly 3 years). We flirted and the ship sailed! There's the hurt, now where's the comfort? I want my happily ever after!
> 
> Lol I'm surprised if you're still here. Thanks for reading this part I guess. Enjoy the fic now!

Armin Arlert is a good college student.

 

He goes to his classes on time (most of the time anyway), he do his homework when no one else did, he raised his hands to answer the questions when his professors look like they're about to die, he tries to help his fellow classmates, and the only parties he attend are birthday parties. Good but nowhere perfect grades, on the good side of all his professors, and friends with everyone. Nice to anyone he meets, including the 'punks' and bullies, though he tries to correct their behavior.

 

That's how Jean became his best friend actually. Jean was being an asshole but Armin sprinkled his magical niceness sparkles on Jean and bam! Jean learned to tolerate the 'annoying' blond (as Jean so nicely called him), and Armin got used to the punk of the school always by his side. A few months later and they're so casually friendly you might think they're childhood friends or something.

 

Or mistake them for lovers.

 

Armin is perfectly comfortable with his sexuality. He knows Jean is also comfortable with his sexuality. Still, Armin can't help but blush and deny their 'love' so horribly, he acts like one of those tsundere anime girls. No really! Armin naturally have a soft, kinda girly voice, so when he goes "N-no! It's not like that!" you can't help but wonder if it _is_ like that.

 

Alas, it is not like that.

 

Jean is pining after a freckled idiot, much like Armin personality-wise. Both are kind, smart, adorable, and oblivious to literally everything. Unfortunately, Jean's crush, Marco, isn't like Armin height-wise. Whatever. Armin encourages his friend, and is perfectly fine with his own single life.

 

Maybe it's embarrassing, maybe it's admirable, but Armin has never had a relationship with anyone regardless of gender. Not because he's a loser (which he's not. He thinks). It's just that Armin don't want a relationship to distract him from his studies. It hurts him a lot to reject some girls who think he's cute, or a dude who likes his ass. Jean told him it's stupid but Armin tends to distract the two toned male using Marco.

 

Armin is a good coffee shop employee.

 

He goes to work after he's done with his classes, smile at every costumer to walk through the doors, never misspelled anyone's name, keep small talk with the costumers, and try to be as comforting as possible to the more quiet costumers.

 

Armin's bright smile and soft voice lead to a higher tip than average, which he's pretty happy about. Being nice pays off, kids.

 

Armin's boss, Levi Ackerman, is a man of few words and many scowls. Levi doesn't like people. Armin tries to not question why Levi would own a business that requires talking, if he don't like talking. Levi likes Armin, or at least tolerate him more than his other employees. Levi likes to smack his employees, but never touches Armin.

 

Remember, kids, being nice pays off and don't do drugs. Drink your school and stay in milk. Wait what. Where am I going? Oh shoot this is a third person story. WHERE DID THE FOURTH WALL GO?? I'm sorry you had to read that. I mean, the author is sorry you (the reader) had to read that.

 

Ahem.

 

Armin works at the coffee shop for about a year now. He learned which costumers like to talk, which costumers rather not talk, which costumers are feeling down (he secretly gives them cookies also, but don't tell Levi! Sh!), which costumers are super happy about something (he also secretly give them 'congrats!! :)' cookies. Don't tell Levi! Sh!), which costumers are going to ask to see the manager, which costumers probably can't afford what they're about to buy, etc.

 

Armin learns a lot from the coffee shop. He can categorize which costumer's which, and use that to give the costumers the best experience. Levi gives him subtle thumbs ups. While still frowning. At least he recognizes that Armin's the reason Heichou's Coffee is rated perfect 5 stars. 

 

Anyway, Armin learns to categorize costumers.

 

So when a *ahem* rather handsome stranger walks in the store, during a quiet day, Armin immediately put him in the 'Troublemaker' category. From the way the stranger's sea blue/green eyes glinted with mischief, how his mouth quirks easily to a cocky smirk, his hands deep in his jeans pocket, his shirt with profanity written on it, it all ticks the requirements for the 'Troublemaker' category.

 

"Hello, welcome to Heichou's Coffee! What can I get you?" Armin greeted with an easy smile. Troublemaker or not, Armin likes smiling. The stranger smiled back. _Oh no,_ Armin thought. _He's hot._

 

"Sup, dude." The stranger replied. His devastatingly beautiful eyes scanned the menu before landing on Armin. "Can I get a hot chocolate?"

 

"Sure!" Armin chirped. "Would you like whipped cream? Any toppings?"

 

The stranger shrugged. "I guess I'll take whipped cream. Is it as sweet as you?"

 

Armin stood frozen in his spot, blushing brightly. He did not expect that. "Um! I-uh, I guess? I-I mean, they're sweet. The whipped cream. I don't know about myself though, haha." Armin inwardly grimaced at his flustered response. The stranger didn't seem to mind though.

 

"Well, I'll take your word." He said, chuckling. _What the heck. Do real people even chuckle?_ Armin thought chuckling is only a thing in crappy romance novels.

 

"S-so." Armin cleared his throat in hopes that he'll stop stuttering. "W-would you like a large, small, or medium?" Heck. He messed that up.

 

"I prefer large," The. Stranger. Winked. _Winked_. "I hope you do too."

 

"Large it is!" Armin squeaked. His face burned. He needs to go out in the winter snow to cool down. Holy heck, did Hot Stranger really said that? "Um...may I have a name? F-for your order?"  

 

Hot Stranger's smirk only grew. "Wow, you wanna know my name already? The name's Eren Yeager."

 

Armin nodded quickly. He try to ignore his probably very noticeable red face. He tried to work the cash register but kept making small mistakes with his fumbling fingers."That will be $3.47, please. Your order will be ready in a moment."

 

Eren pulled out a crumbled $5 bill. "Keep the change." With that, Eren stalked off to one of the tables and sat there with his phone.

 

Armin let out a deep breath. This Troublemaker isn't like the others. He turned to Sasha, his co-worker. "One large hot chocolate, with whipped cream!"

 

Instead of making the drink, Sasha leaned on the counter with a suggestive smile. "So~...What was that about?"

 

Armin blew a raspberry at her. "It was nothing. Just another flirty costumer. Shut up."

 

Sasha laughed as she prepared the drink. She likes seeing Armin in his flustered state. "I don't know man, he looks pretty hot. Maybe give him your number?"

 

"W-what!?" Armin screeched loudly. He blushed when the costumers, including Eren, looked at him. "Don't suggest such things, Sasha! T-that's embarrassing!"

 

"Whatever," Sasha shrugged. "Your loss. If I weren't pining after that Connie boy, I might've shoot for Hot Stranger."

 

"Eren." Armin mumbled. He took the finished cup, wrote Eren Yeager in big letters, and bit his lips as he thinks. "His name is Eren."

 

After thinking long and hard (for like 3 seconds), Armin wrote his own name at the bottom. Followed by a smiley face. Oh god. He blushed simply at the thought of Eren seeing that. "You give it to him. I'll give you my tips." He whispered to Sasha, who had a look of surprise on her face. "Please."

 

Sasha made a face. "Stop making those puppy eyes! You know I can't deny you anything! Fine, I'll do it!" She finally agreed. "I don't care about your tips but you better buy me a pizza after this."

 

Armin gave her a huge smile. "Thank you so much!"

 

Sasha gave him her own sunshine smile. "Yeah, yeah," She ruffled his blond locks, ignoring his protests. "One large hot chocolate with whipped cream for Mr. Eren Yeager!"

 

Armin distracted himself with another costumer, so he didn't notice the little look Eren shot his way. But Sasha did. She grinned mischievously, already devising a plan to get the two boys together.  

 

_Oh boy,_ Sasha thinks to herself. _This'll be so awesome! Sorry Armin, but you'll learn that college and books aren't the secret to life! Oh, I hope Eren isn't secretly a murderer or something._

 

"Sasha! A medium iced coffee please!" Armin's soft voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

 

"Gotcha!"


	2. Longer Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sasha, Jean, and Armin are having a slumber party and Eren unleashes more of his flirting skills as he creates chaos the next day. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be honest, I hadn't expected myself to update this ever. I love SNK/AOT but I'm not too big on the fandom, as you can see. 
> 
> HOWEVER I reread the last chapter and honestly?? I?? Fell?? In?? Love?? With this au?? It's just so cliche yet it's also such a timeless trope that I love it nonetheless. So here is the second chapter, 2000 more words than the previous! You better enjoy this because I had lots of fun with this and didn't actually stress about how it's going to end out. 
> 
> WARNING: some sexual jokes, and this is a little more mature BUT no actual diddly-dooing. This is strictly PG14 (just a year older than 13 lol) and we will only go as far as making diddly-doo jokes and making out. Nothing more. Anyway, that's all, and enjoy this chapter!!!

"--And he was totally in love or something like that!" Sasha told Jean excitedly, grinning wildly as she recounted the story. She took another huge bite from her pizza, ignoring the tomato sauce that smeared across her lips.

 

The three friends; Sasha, Jean, and Armin, are having a casual sleepover night after a stressful week of college, work, and life in general. Also, Armin followed with his promise and bought Sasha a large pizza with toppings of her choosings. 

 

What a nice friend he is. 

 

Currently, Sasha is telling Jean stories of the previous day, in which Hot Stranger Eren seems to take a liking to Cute Barista Armin, and Encouraging Coworker Sasha totally ships it. 

 

“Like, he was going all out with his pick up lines! You know what he  _ actually _ said to poor, sweet,  _ innocent _ Armin?” Sasha paused for Jean to ask what. “When Armin asked what size for his cup, Hot Stranger actually fucking said  _ large _ and winked! He. Fucking.  _ Winked _ !” 

 

Jean’s jaw dropped, before he turns to Armin, grinning widely. “For real?” 

 

“For real!” Sasha nods vigorously, glad she finally has someone to tell this. “The sexual tension? Could smell it from miles away. I could’ve cut it with my bare fingernails! Holy shit.” 

 

“Damn,” Jean whistled, “Armin, you’ve got game. What’d you say he looked like?” 

 

“Hot as shit, that’s for sure,” Sasha said enthusiastically. “Like, unruly… uh, black? Brown? Dark hair and-”

 

“It was dark brown,” Armin told her, then blushed when Sasha and Jean both looked at him suggestively. “I- I only remembered because… uh, I just do!” 

 

“Sure,” Sasha rolled her eyes, “let’s go with that. Anyways, his eyes were so pretty too. Like, green and blue but not yellow!” 

 

“Green and blue does not make yellow.” Armin corrected with an easy-going frown. “It’s the other way around.” 

 

“Whatever, you get what I mean. So anyways! There’s this very, very handsome dude that just rolls up at a random coffee shop, saw Armin’s cute-as-shit face, and then started to flirt the hell out of Armin!” Sasha finished and reached for another slice. 

 

"Sasha, please..." Armin made a face and shyly scratched his cheek, looking absolutely adorable. "I bet he does that to everyone." 

 

"Also, there's no hell in Armin," Jean added. He smiled, not exactly mean but also not very nice either, at Armin's protesting. "Oh shut it, Blondie. You're so innocent I feel weird cursing around you."

 

"B-but...!" Armin spluttered. He can't think of anything to back himself up. "I-I'm just against cursing because it's unbecoming! And I want to work around children...and I’ll rather not get in trouble for cursing around them!"

 

Jean snorted. "Excuses. Also, I'm not talking about that. Also, also, I can’t even imagine you saying bad words."

 

When he saw Armin about to protest, Jean quickly continued, “And stupid substitue like  _ freaking _ and  _ heck _ and  _ butthole _ do not count! And like I said, I wasn’t talking about that part anyway.” 

 

Armin tilted his head in confusion. "I...I don't follow." He admits in a voice that says he doesn't like it when he doesn't understand.

 

"See!" Jean pointed at him with a victorious grin. "This is what I'm talking about! Look at his damn tilt, and if you say he don't look like a puppy, you're fucking lying!"

 

"I'm not stupid," Sasha agreed. She grabbed another slice and pinched Armin’s cheeks with her free hand. "Look at you, Armin. You and your short height, your girly-ass haircut, your large blue anime eyes. You're the definition of cute. Cutie pie extraordinaire. Cutest boi ever!"

 

Armin doesn't know what to say, he only gave a squawk-like noise as he rapidly turn red. "G-guys, that's not funny." He pouted, then grinned mischievously when a thought crossed his mind. "What about Marco? How's he doing?"

 

Now it's Jean's turn to splutter and blush. "'Ey, not cool!"

 

Armin and Sasha both laugh. 

 

“Okay, cutie pie,” Sasha says, “I’ll give that one to you. That was pretty funny.” 

 

Armin grins at the praise. 

 

“But we’re not going off topic so suddenly!” Sasha continues, smirking when Armin’s face fell comedically. “How much do you wanna bet Hot Stranger’s gonna come back tomorrow?” 

 

Jean pretends to think, putting his index finger on his chin and tapping it thoughtfully. His amber brown eyes sweeps over Armin’s face and body. “Hmmm. Ah yes. I bet he totally will. I have no money to offer though- broke college student here.” 

 

Sasha snorts. “Aren’t we all?” 

 

After Armin gave them a concerned look, Sasha and Jean both shared a knowing look and rolled their eyes in perfect unison. 

 

“It’s a joke, Mr. I’m-From-A-Rich-Family,” Jean teases, “we’re perfectly fine. Most of the time.” 

 

“Some of the time,” Sasha amended. 

 

“Some of the time,” Jean repeats in agreement. They both burst into easy laughter when Armin’s concerned look melts into pure confusion. 

 

“I’m not even rich or anything like that,” Armin mumbles. “I just don’t have to pay all of my tuition, so I focus my spending on other things.” 

 

“Okay, I take back my Mr. I’m-From-A-Rich-Family name.” Sasha says. “Instead, you’re now Mr. I-Am-Super-Smart.” 

 

“Isn’t he always though?” Jean ponders. He ruffles Armin’s blonde hair when the smaller boy started to protest again.

 

Sasha pauses, then reached for another pizza. “You right, you right.”

 

The rest of the night went smoothly from topic to topic, and the three finally slept when Armin started to protest about how late it’s getting. Armin took out the futons and cranked up the heat, so they all snuggled in the living room together, but not before sharing a few more giggles and gossip. 

 

* * *

 

It is Saturday and Armin started his shift early, not because he’s curious about the handsome stranger from the day before! If anything, Sasha is more excited about him than Armin himself. 

 

Sasha had proposed the idea of working earlier to make their work ethics better, and to get in Levi’s good graces. Armin knows at that Sasha is lying to him, and he knows exactly why she proposed said idea. 

 

Yet he agreed. 

 

He doesn’t know why. He knows it’s a good idea to get more work done, so he doesn’t just laze around in his free time. Yet he also remembered that he has homework and an essay due, so he’s not quite sure completely why he agreed with Sasha. 

 

Whatever the case is, he is here now. In the store an hour before it actually opens. 

 

And he’s nervous! Nervous for what? He has no idea, the only thing clear to him is that his heart is pounding and he feels something at the pit of his stomach. He feels anticipation crawling up his stomach-- yet he doesn’t understand why. 

 

What is his body telling him? What… or perhaps who is he excited for? Armin doesn’t dare share this feeling in him with Sasha. He knows exactly what her reaction will be, and what her answer will be: 

 

Hot Stranger. 

 

Whatever. He has work to do, and he can’t afford to focus on silly stuff right now!

 

Armin forced himself to snap back into reality. 

 

He had been swiping the same spot on the window for the past minute, and Sasha is checking the coffee machines and supplies, while loudly belting out her favorite song which was blaring from her speaker. Other than that, the coffee shop is silent and has no other people aside from them. 

 

Armin sighs, a little frustrated in himself, and continued swiping the window before moving on to the next window. 

 

Armin glanced back at Sasha, who is now busting some dance moves as she moved on to her next chore. Then he glanced at the time, and quickly came to the realization that the store opens in a little under twenty minutes. 

 

What had he been doing?! Ahh, he’s wasting his time! 

 

With redoubled efforts, Armin continued cleaning the windows and moved on to his next chore with high concentration. He didn’t give a thought to Eren, the Hot Stranger. 

 

Okay, maybe he let his thoughts stray just a tiny bit, but he always snaps back into focus! So, he’s not slacking or anything! 

 

With his mind preoccupied, Armin lost track of time until his alarm rang loudly, signaling that the store will open in a bit. 

 

“Sasha, you good?” Armin asks, raising his voice over the loud music. 

 

“Yup, we are good to go! Open up the store, big boy! Me is ready for some hungry customers!” 

 

Armin grins at Sasha’s enthusiastic exclaim as he went to open the store. 

 

Uniforms? All neat and tidy, free of stains. 

 

Chairs, tables and floor? Squeaky clean, no spills or crumbs. 

 

Windows? Shining perfectly, no spot on any. 

 

Machines? All ready to make some good coffee!

 

Sprinkles, chocolate, syrup, pastry and everything else? Yup, they’ve got them!

 

The store is ready to open!

 

After checking his mental checklist, Armin flips the sign to “OPEN”. He turns around and offers Sasha a smile. “Let’s do this!” 

 

“Woo!” Sasha whoops from the back, grinning back largely. “Hot Stranger, I’m ready for you to ask Armin out!” 

 

Armin promptly trips over nothing, across the newly swept floor. When he got up, he ignored Sasha’s loud guffawing, and tried to stop his blush. 

 

“S-Sasha!” He whines, almost childishly. “D-don’t say such th-things!” 

 

Sasha rolls her eyes playfully, wondering why it’s so easy to rile Armin up. “I’m just kidding, hon! Lighten up.” 

 

“I-I’m- I am!” Armin mumbled. 

 

Sasha snorts. “Lies.” 

 

Armin smiles at his coworker. “Hey. We’ve got a coffee shop to run.” 

 

“Oh, but of course.” Sasha fake salutes. “Sorry, sir!” 

 

Several customers walks in and Armin prepares to take orders with a small but genuine smile. Sasha gets right to work. 

 

“Hi!” Armin greets the first person in line. “What may I get for you?” 

 

“Uh…. hm… can I get the-.... Actually, I want the… wait, no ...”

 

Armin saw the next customer’s eyes twitch, and felt mild sympathy for them. However, Armin is insanely patient and waits for his customer’s order without interruption. 

 

So far, no signs of Hot Stranger. 

 

Armin sighed in relief; that means he doesn’t have to deal with ridiculously hot strangers flirting with him. 

 

Then he felt a pang, not quite sure where it came from. He knows that he doesn’t like the idea of Eren not coming back, though he has no idea why. After all, Eren may be a handsome stranger, but he’s also a stranger. 

 

Armin doesn’t know who Eren is, so he shouldn’t feel upset at the fact that Eren won’t be coming back. 

 

Armin subtly shook himself back to reality, panicking. He totally spaced out and didn't hear what the customer’s ordering! Oh, how embarrassing it is to ask the customer what they had ordered!

 

“Wait, I take all that back. I actually want a… wait no… hm…” 

 

Armin quietly let out a sigh of relief. So he hadn’t missed anything important. 

 

Okay. 

 

These thoughts all about Eren, the Hot Stranger, are stupid. He needs to let go of them if he wants to work. 

 

The customer finally ordered something, and Sasha happily made the drink. Armin helped the next person in the steadily growing line. 

 

So far so good. 

 

No accidents, no angry customers, nothing bad. 

 

Maybe today might turn out great after all. Armin has no idea why he was so nervous at the beginning of the day. 

 

Minutes slowly merge into hours and the customers kept pouring in. 

 

It is almost 12, which is also rush hour, because that’s usually people’s lunch break. People like to come over to Heichou’s Coffee Shop because of its relaxing and quiet atmosphere. (And overly too nice particular worker, but shh!)

 

As of now, Armin is doing a good job at the register. He hasn’t faced any problems, except maybe the occasional brain dead student or hurrying business man. 

 

The door rings and Armin stops his current conversation with Sasha to turn around, with a smile on his face. “Hi, how may I help y--” 

 

Armin faltered when he realized who exactly entered. Holy heck, it’s Hot Stranger! Eren was sporting another cocky smile and a black leather jacket atop a white t-shirt and ripped jeans, despite the rather hot weather outside. 

 

“H-how may I he-help you?” Armin finished with a gulp. Behind him, he could hear Sasha’s excited giggling. 

 

“Hey there,  _ Armin _ ,” Eren greets with a sly grin, as if he knows something Armin doesn’t, and an extra emphasis on Armin’s name, “how you doing? You’re looking a lil’ fluster.” 

 

“U-um, sorry about that!” Armin apologizes, turning redder by the minute. “W-what would you like to, um, order, sir?” 

 

Eren’s grin widened. “‘Sir’, huh?” He repeats. Eren leans forward, his eyelids hooded. “Sounds… just right out of your pretty little mouth.” 

 

“O-oh!” Armin said. He doesn’t know what else to say. Armin is sure his face as as red as a tomato, as cliche as it sounds. It feels as if his face is going to explode, from how hot it feels. “T-thank you?” 

 

Eren stares at Armin with an easy-going look. “You’re fun to tease,” he decides. 

 

“T-thanks,” Armin repeats quieter. 

 

Then Eren grins at Armin, and Armin’s heart pounded faster. How can a single smile cause him to feel so happy, make his heart do flops, and yet at the same time give him some feeling of nervousness?

 

“Hmm.” Eren pretends to think, putting an index finger and tapping it against his chin. Armin is suddenly reminded of Jean. “Are you on the menu?”

 

“E-eh!?” Armin nearly jumps, then wonders if it’s possible to turn even redder, because he’s pretty sure he just did. 

 

“You heard me,” Eren said, still grinning easily as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. 

 

“Yup, he sure is!” Sasha answers for him when Armin couldn’t get a single word out of his mouth. 

 

“Great, I’ll have one Armin,” Eren paused and leaned forward, earning a nervous squeak from Armin, “one Armin Arlert, please.” He continues with ease, winking at the end. 

 

Armin honestly doesn’t know how to reply. “I, uhm, uh- er,” 

 

Eren watches Armin stumble over his words with amusement. “Is that a yes or a no?” 

 

“It’s a yes!” Armin squeaks, then blinks at what he just said, then blushed furiously at what he just said. “I--!! Uh--” 

 

“Alright then, it’s a date!” Eren says cheerfully. “I’ll have a hot chocolate, no whipped cream this time.” 

 

"D-date?" Armin repeats, his fading blush returning full force. 

 

"Unless if you don't swing that way?" Eren cocked his eyebrows and frowned, and the image struck Armin right in the heart. 

 

"Oh no, no, no, no!" Armin said quickly to appease the other boy. "It's not that!"

 

"So I'm not your type?" Eren guesses, his frown deepening. Armin sucked in a breath and silently vowed never to make Eren sad-- if they ever meet again.

 

"No!" Armin yelps at the suggestion. "You're definitely my type-- I- I mean, I don't exactly have a type, but you're really, um, handsome a-and I won't mind if we, I mean-" 

 

Eren listens to Armin's ramblings, grinning at how cute the other boy is. He leaned forward and effectively hushed the barista before him. 

 

"You're cute when you're flustered." Eren says nonchalantly, loving the way Armin cutely squeaks. "What time do you get out of work?"

 

"I- um, half past seven." Armin told the other boy, his face still red. 

 

Eren pulls out a sleek black iPhone- Armin can't tell what model- and checks the time. "Hm. That's quite a while away."

 

"U-um, yeah sorry," Armin grimaces. 

 

"Nah, it cool," Eren shrugs and his natural easy smile returns. "I'll wait longer than some hours for you." 

 

Armin flushes. Eren's really good with pick up lines and sweet words, it seems. 

 

"Um, okay," Armin stammers, "w-what would you like?"

 

"Hot chocolate, make it as sweet as you," Eren says flirtatiously. 

 

“Sorry, even the sweetest of all sugar can’t be as sweet as lil’ Armin!” Sasha’s voice jolted Armin out of his Eren-driven stupor. “He’s one of a kind!” 

 

Eren analyzes Sasha, then shares a knowing smile with her. “Of course. Then regular hot chocolate- maybe also your number?” 

 

Armin is pretty sure he’s going to die due to the rapid travel of his blood. He silently, and rather shyly, took Eren’s money and gave back the change. His red face grew scalding hot when his fingers brushed against Eren’s. 

 

“I- um, y-your order will be r-ready soon.” Armin says shyly. He stubbornly keeps his soft blue eyes down, avoiding Eren’s passionate mix of green and blue eyes. How would one describe Eren’s beautiful eyes? 

 

With one final wink, Eren saunters over to a nearby stool, and by nearby I mean right next to the counter, and pulls out his phone. 

 

Armin turns to Sasha with a deep exhale. 

 

“Sasha, I think I’m going to die,” Armin mumbles. 

 

Sasha offered no help except laughter. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, hon. Looks like he likes you a lot. And it  _ definitely _ looks like you like him a lot, too.” 

 

Armin blushes. “Shut up.” 

 

Sasha dramatically gasps as she makes the hot chocolate. “Oh my! Sweet, little, and innocent Armin?? Saying naughty things?? Oh no!” 

 

“Maybe he wants a punishment,” Eren calls from the stool.

 

Armin freezes.

 

Sasha gaped.

 

Eren grins.

 

Armin could faintly acknowledge the blood rushing towards his rapidly heating face, Sasha’s naturally loud guffawing, several wolf whistles, and someone high-fiving Eren. 

 

“Oh my god.” He squeaks. “Did he just-?” 

 

“Ho-o-o-ly shit!” Sasha says breathlessly in between her bouts of laughter, her face turning red as she clutches her stomach. “What a- man! O-o-oh- my- god!” 

 

The small coffee shop was filled with laughter and more wolf whistles that day. A lot more. 

 

And it seems poor Armin, who did nothing wrong, mind you, is subject to all this. And his face can’t handle this much blood cells much longer before it’ll eventually explodes. 

 

Eventually, however, Sasha shakily handed the hot chocolate over to Armin, who wrote Eren’s name on the cup (and also his number, but shh!), and shyly delivered it to Eren. 

 

“Thanks cutie,” Eren winks, enjoying Armin’s blush way more than he should, “I’ll see ya 7:30, kay?” 

 

Without waiting for an answer, Eren turns around and left Heichou’s Coffee Shop a mess of awed customers, hysterically laughing coworkers, and one very flustered barista. 

 

All before rush hour. Darn him. 

 

It took Armin quite a while to calm down, but when he eventually did, the excitement had died down and everything resumed as if Eren had never graced the cafe shop with his presence in the beginning. 

 

Keeping Eren’s words in mind, Armin continues to work with a noticeable larger smile and a more cheerful tone, all that while very oblivious to Sasha's shit-eating grin and the camera that has been propped up ever since Eren stepped inside the shop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! I really enjoy this au and this ship is so cute?? I love it?? Why am I this way?? Idk?? Please leave kudos and comments?? Thank you??


	3. The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, we get to see Eren's perspective!! 
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: This is set the day Eren and Armin met. So if Eren enters Heichou's Coffee shop at the 5th of October, then he makes all those inappropriate jokes and asked Armin out on the 6th, this chapter is set on the 5th. Sorry if that's confusing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback and kudos last chapter!! I appreciate them, plus did I mention that I FUH-REEK-ING LOVE this au??? No?? Well, I love this au and it's amazingly cliche but soooo timeless that I just love it. *weird happy noises*
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE (in case you didn't read the summary): This is set the day Eren and Armin met. So if Eren enters Heichou's Coffee shop at the 5th of October, then he makes all those inappropriate jokes and asked Armin out on the 6th, this chapter is set on the 5th. Sorry if that's confusing!

When Eren heard the news that his older (adopted) brother, Levi, opened up a coffee shop a few months ago, his first reaction was to laugh loudly. 

 

Levi? The one and only very serious Levi who hates people? The Captain of a special squad in the Survey Corp? The Levi who people are sure have no emotions other than anger and judgement?  _ That _ Levi? 

 

Opening a small business where people regularly come in and it’s required to be nice even to total pieces of shits? Making cute little coffees and cookies? 

 

Eren was sure it was all a prank, maybe to get back at that one time he didn’t clean the windows like Levi ~~asked~~  ordered and instead headed out with friends. Or when he replaced the bright blue Windex bottle with the same blue-colored Gatorade. Or perhaps when he put salt instead of sugar in Levi’s coffee-- who was oblivious and even asked how Eren brewed it so well until Eren revealed that he used salt. Or maybe when---...

 

Well… you get the point. Eren has always been a lil’ mischievous piece of shit. His first initial thought was, “Ah. Levi finally loosened up and is learning to make jokes. I’m so proud of him!” 

 

But then he noticed his mother’s concerned expression and Levi’s unimpressed glare. Eren stopped laughing and stared at them in disbelief, then glances at Mikasa, who nodded in confirmation. 

 

Then it became apparent; because Mikasa never lies, not even for pranks. Believe him, he tried to convince her to lie for him. He got caught in the act and in the middle of a lie. He never forgave Mikasa after that, though she doesn’t seem to care.

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Eren says quickly, knitting his eyebrows in confusion, “you guys are actually serious? Not pulling my leg or anything? Not getting back at me for being a dumbass?” 

 

“Eren, honey, watch your language.” Carla, his mother, chastised disapprovingly with a frown. 

 

“Sorry, momma,” Eren apologizes unconvincingly. “But you’re not joking or anything? You're actually for real??” 

 

Levi sighs, his beady eyes rolling. “I told you he’ll act like a dumbass at first, then an unbelievingly ignorant dumbass.” 

 

Carla didn’t have the chance to reprimand Levi for his language, because Eren had connected the dots. 

 

“Wait  _ you are? _ ” Eren asks incredulously. Then his face splits into a shit-eating grin. “OH MY FUCKING GOD, THAT IS  _ HILARIOUS _ AS SHIT! LEVI, YOU DID IT, YOU MADMAN! YOU ACTUALLY SURPASS ME IN  _ ALL _ LEVELS OF COMEDY! THAT IS THE  _ FUNNIEST _ THING I’VE EVER HEA-- mmfff!!”

 

Levi clasps a hand, gloved, over Eren’s loud mouth. “Shut up already, you annoying twat.” He grumbles. “Petra had always wanted one, so I opened one for her in her memory. Besides, it’s not that bad. I earn more money, and I give helpless college students jobs and something to do.” 

 

Eren shuts up at the comment about Petra. Petra was a sweet and bright girl in Levi’s special squad. She looked and acted like she shouldn’t be in the military, but rather at home, playing with dolls and having fake tea parties. She was just so innocent and sweet and always so happy. It had affected everyone, Levi the most, when she died during a risky mission. 

 

Eren, being Eren, then registers Levi’s last words and latches on them instead. 

 

“Aww, you’re giving jobs to helpless college students?” He fake coos. “That’s so sweet of you, captain Heichou! I didn’t know you have a heart!” 

 

“Dumbass, Heichou means captain!” Levi corrects, smacking Eren’s head. “And don’t call me sweet.” 

 

“Eren, don’t say that to your older brother!” Carla exclaims. “And Levi, dearie, please don’t hit your younger brother. He’s still young, he doesn’t mean it.” 

 

“ _ Young _ ?” Levi repeats disbelievingly. “This overgrown baby is turning twenty in a few years! Stop treating him like he’s a child or something.” 

 

Eren childishly struck out his tongue. “You’re just jealous I’m not an old geezer like you.” 

 

“Excuse me?” Levi raised an eyebrow. “I’m one of the younger generals in the military, you ignorant goose.” 

 

“Young my ass!” Eren laughs. “You’re an old grandpa! You’re thirty whole years old! Damn ancient being!” 

 

“Thirty four is not ancient you moron!” Levi snorts. 

 

“Uh-huh!” 

 

"I'm only over a decade older than you!"

 

"Sounds like someone's getting defensive~!"

 

“Then are mom and dad beyond ancient, prehistoric beings?” Levi questions, smirking when he stumps Eren. 

 

“Fine, you got me there,” Eren grumbles and stuck out his tongue for good measure. 

 

Levi looks about ready to smack someone across the face. 

 

Carla sighs and rolled her eyes fondly at her boys. She glances over to Mikasa, who is occupied with a book in the living room. 

 

Honestly, as proud as she is with her sons’ achievements, why can’t they be more like Mikasa? She’s always so quiet and closed off, but also a very good daughter and always so hard-working and compliant. 

 

“Boys, behave,” She says in her strictest voice possible. “Eren, congratulate your brother and go to your room.” 

 

“Ha,” Levi mockingly stuck out his tongue at Eren, who fake gasped at Levi. 

 

“Hey,” Eren grins as an idea pops into his head. 

 

“No.” Levi says before even hearing it. He just already knows that Eren has another dumb idea, and he’d rather not stick around and lose any more of his brain cells. 

 

“Why don’t I visit this little coffee shop of yours?” Eren suggests. “And see those miserable college students, and maybe even make fun of your decorations-- if you have any that is.” 

 

“No.” Levi turns around and starts to walk away. 

 

“Oh, darling, what a wonderful idea!” Carla says happily at the same time. She claps her hands together and turns to Levi. “Okay, honey. You can go rest up now, but dinner will be ready soon! It’s your favorite!” 

 

Levi offers Carla a small smile. “Thanks, mom. I’ll be down later.” 

 

With that, and a threatening glare to Eren, Levi went upstairs to retire in his room. Carla left to cook in the kitchen. 

 

Eren finds himself bored now. Levi is gone and would kill him if Eren dares go up to his room uninvited. 

 

Mikasa is occupied by a book and will not bulge even if Eren throws marshmallows and/or stuffed animals. Believe him, he tried.

 

And his mother is busy in the kitchen, and would probably ground him (even though he’s waaay too old for that, and did he mention he doesn’t even live with his parents anymore?) if he bugs her. 

 

So now what? 

 

Eren is Bored with a capital B. 

 

This is supposed to be a fun day! 

 

Where all the Yeager-Ackerman siblings comes over to their parents and spend the day together before Levi either goes back to Japan or wherever his dumb coffee shop is located, Mikasa goes back to the White House, and Eren goes back to college. 

 

Except Levi is being an angsty teenager, and Mikasa is being a nerd!

 

There’s nothing fun to do!

 

An idea flashed in his head and Eren mentally pat himself on the back for the great idea. Why don’t he visit this cafe right now and get a taste of Levi’s drinks? Maybe cause some ruckus in the coffee shop and mess around with the so-called miserable college students there? 

 

Eren knows college could be a bitch, but he doesn’t really pay attention during lectures and have Mikasa tutor him later. And he’s definitely not having money problems like his fellow students, because his parents are pretty loaded. Not to mention Levi only spending a percentage of his income, so he just gives the rest to their parents. Or Mikasa’s job as a bodyguard of the fucking president of the entire nation brining in tons of money. Or their dad, who seems to never be at home, being a hard-working doctor and earning a solid six-figure salary. 

 

Eren pretty much have the easy life, except he has ADHD and some serious anger issues. 

 

With that being said, he doesn’t quite understand the struggles of an actual college student. Mikasa is the best teacher in the world and he doesn’t have money problems, which are the two biggest problems in an average student’s life. 

 

So he brilliantly thought that maybe hanging out with Levi's college employees might give him a new perspective on things. That's a lie, he just wants to mess shit up.

 

“Hey momma?” Eren pops into the kitchen, making sure to stay out of the way. 

 

“Yes, honey?” Carla replies, swiftly cooking and preparing the meal. 

 

“What’s the address to Levi’s coffee shop?”

 

Carla stops cooking for a moment and stares at Eren, then thinks quickly. After a moment of hesitation, she answered, “It’s actually downtown. Next to the library and right across from the post office. Just a few blocks away from the hospital, actually. Please don’t disturb anyone there by causing a scene. Coffee shops are usually quiet.” 

 

Eren was surprised at how close the coffee shop was, and even more surprised at his mother’s parting words. 

 

“Momma, please,” he grins, “that’s like asking a baby to stop crying forever.” 

 

With that, he quickly grabs his leather jacket and his Kool Kids Only sunglasses before heading out. 

 

After a moment of hesitation, he went back inside and hung his jacket on the clothes hanging bar near the door, ditched his glasses, and went back outside. He looks like a nerd with those things on anyway. 

 

Whistling a merry tune and wondering different ways of how to cause mischief, Eren heads towards the coffee shop. 

 

***********************************************************************************

 

When Eren stands in front of the shop, his eyes are drawn to how simple the store looks. Sure, it looks aesthetically-pleasing for the most part. The store is simple and one colored (a boring beige/brown) and there are no outside decorations, unless if sparkly windows 

with blackboard offering deals count. 

 

Eren heads in with a cocky grin, ready to mess with his older brother’s shop and the employees inside. 

 

His eyes swept across the cafe and he notices…  how  _ boring _ it looks. 

 

Nice, clean tables and chairs. Booths by the windows. Stools next to the counter. 

 

A blackboard serving as the menu in the nicest handwriting Eren has ever seen in his life. It looks almost printed. The prices were pretty modest. There are options of various types of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. Pastries and cookies are also offered. 

 

Sparkly clean floors, just like the windows. Everything is stainless. Of course they would be, this is Levi’s shop after all. The shorter male has a reputation of being a clean freak-- all organized and clean and spotless. 

 

The walls hold the occasional promotive poster, but that’s about it. No cool band posters, no writings, not even cute coffee stickers. No cracks or coffee stains either. No kids'  vandalizing scribbles.

 

However, all the details that Eren immediately noticed went down the drain when his eyes landed on the  _ cutest _ motherfucker on Earth. 

 

Holy fucking shit, Eren mistook the barista as a girl until he took a closer look. And honestly?  _ Damn _ , he likes what he sees. 

 

I mean, who wouldn’t? The boy before him has large, doe-like blue eyes that reminds Eren of the sky on a peaceful day. His shining, golden blonde hair falls over easily in a bowl-cut, usually for nerds, but damn he fits it so well. His bangs hang just above his huge eyes cutely. His body isn’t bad either. 

 

He looks smaller and shorter than Eren, that’s for sure, but Eren is sporty and athletic. This boy’s skin is flawlessly pale, as if it never has been exposed to sunlight or acne. Lucky bastard.

 

All his ideas of causing havoc disappeared and Eren has the strongest urge to just reach over and ruffle the barista’s soft-as-shit looking hair. 

 

“Hello, welcome to Heichou’s Coffee! What can I get for you?” The barista greets in a high-pitched voice, so cute and innocent sounding. For a second, Eren wonders if the male before him is only fourteen or fifteen years old. Then he remembers that Levi only employs college students. 

 

Then Eren is offered a very genuine smile that shines brightly, and he’s pretty sure angels are singing in the background. Eren smiles back, because who wouldn’t smile back to an angel? 

 

“Sup, dude.” Eren says, hoping to sound manly and cool. He pretends to look at the menu, then stares back at the perfection before him. “Can I get a hot chocolate?” 

 

The boy’s smile didn't fade, and Eren fights the urge to protect this innocent bean from the harsh world. His mind is focused on one thing: make this cutie pie his. 

 

“Sure!” The barista says, still sounding happy. Eren wonders how he could sound so genuinely happy. Is he genuinely happy? Didn’t Levi said he only employs miserable college students? “Would you like whipped cream? Any toppings?” 

 

_ Here’s my fucking chance! _

 

“I guess I’ll take whipped cream.” Eren shrugs, then readies his pick up line. “Is it as sweet as you?” 

 

_ BAM! And score!  _ Eren cheers inside his head when he saw the barista freeze as he’s blushing bright red. I _ t’s a nice color on the boy’s face, _ Eren decides.  _ Wonders how it’ll look on the rest of his body when--- *explicit* _

 

Eren stops his thoughts before they could escalate. He focuses instead on the stuttering barista before him. 

 

“Um!” The boy says nervously, losing all the confidence he had before. “I-uh, I guess?”

 

_ Gosh, he’s so fucking cute! _

 

“I-I mean, they’re sweet. The whipped cream.” He amended cutely. “I don’t know about myself though, haha.” 

 

_ The way he nervously laughs!  _ Eren notices.  _ How is it so cute when I should be making fun of him for sounding like a nerd! Also, fuck you (yes please), you’re sweet as shit!  _

 

“Well, I’ll take your word.” Eren says. Then chuckled, trying to sound like the suave-y guys from romance novels. He would’ve cringe except he has a cutie to try to win over. 

 

“S-so.” The barista still stutters, clearing his throat. Eren internally aw-ed at the cuteness of the simple gesture. “W-would you like a large, small, or medium?” 

 

Eren notices the switch of order, and it suddenly gave him another flirty line idea. 

 

“I prefer large,” Eren winks and hopes he doesn’t look like an idiot, “I hope you do too.” 

 

“Large it is!” The adorable-beyond-words barista squeaks cutely, and his face flushes again. “Um… may I have a name? F-for your order?” 

 

Another idea crossed Eren’s mind, and he’s suddenly very grateful of the many “Great Pick Up Lines” videos he watched on youtube because he had been bored.

 

Eren allows his smirk to grow larger, but made sure it’s not a full blown grin yet. “Wow, you wanna know my name already? The name’s Eren Yeager.” 

 

The barista nods quickly, his hair flying up and down as his face scrunches cutely from the action. His fingers stumbles on the register cutely, like a baby animal just learning to walk. Honestly, the boy is as cute- no, a hundred times cuter- than the cutest baby animal Eren could think of. 

 

“That would be $3.47, please,” 

 

_ Holy shit I really like how he says please- what the fuck is up with me? _

 

“Your order will be ready in a moment.” 

 

Eren internally curses himself for only bringing a 5 dollar bill. If he could, he would’ve tipped Armin thousands of dollars. After all, he’s not even gonna use that much money, and Armin has this job for a reason, right? 

 

“Keep the change,” Eren tells him, and tries not to look like he’s rushing as he heads towards a table. 

 

Eren pulls out his phone, goes through his contacts, and searches for a particular person. 

 

**Message to:** **_Short Angery Military Man_ **

 

**Me:** Y DIDNT U TELL ME UR BARSTA IS SO CUTE, BRO????? 😤😤😡😡😠😠😠😍😍🤔😑😑😤

 

**Me:** ANSWEEERR 😤😤

 

**Me:** HEY

 

**Me:** HEY 

 

**Me:** HEY

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** Shut up already

 

**Me:** oh hey there bro

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** What do you want?

 

**Me:** y didnt u tell me ur barstas a cute peace of shit? 😤😠

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** Barstas? What the hell are you trying to say, Eren?

 

**Me:** the cashier dude 🙄

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** Barista?? 

 

**Me:** ye!! 

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** Are you in my coffee shop right now? 

 

**Me:** ye!!

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** Eren I’m going to beat the shit out of you when you’re back. You better not mess with my employees or I will rip out your dick.

 

**Me:** ooh kinky 😉😉😉😂😂😂😆😣😣

 

**_Short Angery Military Man_ ** _ is typing… _

 

**_Short Angery Military Man_ ** _ is typing… _

 

**_Short Angery Military Man_ ** _ is typing… _

 

**Me:** I’m sorry levi i didn’t mean that please don’t kill me 😅😅 ily bro

 

**_Short Angery Military Man_ ** _ is typing… _

 

**_Short Angery Military Man_ ** _ has left the chat _

 

“Well fuck.” Eren whispers to himself. And he didn’t even learn the cute barista’s name. Darn it. 

 

Eren glances back at the cute boy, and smiles involuntarily when he saw the boy blushing as his coworker seems to tease him. 

 

Suddenly, the boy let’s out a rather girly screech: “W-what!?”

 

The boy flushes redder when he saw everyone’s eyes on him, and Eren feels his own heart thumping faster when they made eye contact before the boy hurriedly broke it. 

 

The boy turns around and whispers something to his coworker, who shrugged and said something Eren couldn’t quite make out. 

 

Wait…

 

Is the barista dating the coffee-maker girl? Eren thinks back to when he was flirting with the barista. Nah, the boy definitely isn’t dating the coffee-making girl, otherwise one of them would’ve probably kick Eren out. 

 

Eren decides to text Levi again, just to make sure. 

 

 **Message to:** **_Short Angery Military Man_**

 

**Me:** um so r ur 2 employees dating or smth? U no, the blonde cute boy and the brown haired loud girl??

 

**Short Angery Military Man:** No and stop bothering me before I block you again.

 

 ** _Short Angery Military Man_** _has left the chat_

 

Before Eren could send his next message, _ “Y...? r u doin some diddly daddling in ur room or smth? Lol nasty 🤔🤔😉😖😫😵😨😱😱”, _ the girl had called his order. Maybe he should take that as a sign that what he was about to do probably wasn’t the best choice and God had saved his life. 

 

Eren saunters over to the counter, a bit disappointed that he wasn’t able to make another pass at the cute boy. The other is cleverly taking another order, so he wouldn’t have to deal with Eren’s total awesomeness. 

 

Eren took his cup and noticed how pretty the handwriting was. Then he saw something else written, that he’s pretty sure isn’t his name. 

 

_ “Armin :)”  _ was written underneath his name in the cup. Is Armin the name of the cute barista? Eren looked closer at the name tag of the girl (he had been too occupied staring at the barista’s angelic face and his adorable expressions to see his name tag, whatever, sue him). 

 

Her name tag reads “Sasha” which could mean only one thing… 

 

Cute Barista’s name is Armin!! Armin!!

 

Eren grins at the realization and shoots Armin (oh, he definitely likes how the name sounds) a look-- though the other didn’t see it. 

 

Eren is already thinking of ways he could win over Armin. He should come again the next day. Yeah, definitely. 

 

With a genuinely happy smile, way different from the mischievous one he had arrived with, Eren walks outside the cafe and took a sip of the hot chocolate. 

 

“Hm.” He nods, impressed. “Not bad, Captain Heichou. Not bad at all.”

 

Then Eren lets his thoughts about Armin wander... perhaps a little too far because when he reached home, the hot chocolate is long forgotten but his face resembles Armin's.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Eren turns out to be a childish annoying piece of shit! Sorry, Armin, he isn't the really Cool and Hot and Mysterious stranger you thought he was ;) 
> 
> next chapter will feature what happened in Chapter 2!
> 
> please leave comments and kudos, thank you!


	4. The Ackerman-Yeager Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're still in Eren's perspective!!! Uh, that's about it! Basically chapter 2 except in Eren's POV! 
> 
> Also, WARNING!!!!!
> 
> There are slight mentions of abuse--nothing too graphic or bloody but there are family arguments and physically harm! Please, if you're triggered by this, just skip until the next line break and continue reading! I'll have a summary at the end of the chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't read my WARNING, then go read it because it's important!!!!
> 
> Only SLIGHT mentions, NO GRAPHIC OR BLOODY themes!!!!! HOWEVER, you may be triggered by something, and since this fic is all cute and suck, I'll post this warning up here. 
> 
> Note: this wasn't proofread nor do I have a beta. If I have mistakes, it is your job to point them out or else I'll cry. 
> 
> Thank you!!

“And he was  _ so _ fucking cute!” Eren dramatically wails as he’s draped over the couch, still talking about the cute barista he had met hours ago. Levi glares at him for being annoying and Mikasa is plain out ignoring him. Carla looks at him in concern but goes back to cooking. “Like? Literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen since baby pictures of Mikasa!” 

 

Mikasa blushes faintly and Levi rolls his eyes again. 

 

“With his blonde hair that I just want to run my fingers over, and his huge blue eyes that make me feel like a dirty sinner,” Eren continues to talk without filter, “and oh- I would gladly let him punish me for being a dirty--” 

 

“Okay, that’s enough!” Levi growls, lightly smacking Eren in the face with his feather duster. “None of that talk around us, you disgusting dust mite! Now go take your problems somewhere else, where we don't have to listen to your disgusting fetishes. Like your  _ bedroom _ !” 

 

Eren blinks then grins at Levi’s choice of words. 

 

Levi realizes his mistake too late. 

 

“MOMMA!” Eren hollers, even though the kitchen isn’t that far from where he is seated. “LEVI’S BEING NAUGHTY!” 

 

“Oh my god, shut up.” Levi rolls his eyes as he resumes cleaning the already spotless house. “You know what I meant. You’re the one being dirty by thinking that way.” 

 

Eren pouts. “But why didn’t you tell me your barista’s so adorable? Is he a robot or something? I think you accidently employed a fallen angel. Nah, he’s so innocent and pure he can’t be fallen!” 

 

Levi listens to his younger (adopted) brother rambling about one of his employees with half annoyance and half amusement. 

 

“Oh, I get it now! His blonde hair and that nerdy-ass haircut! It creates a halo around him, symbolising the halo that all angels have!” Eren said in a tone that suggests he found the newest scientific revelation. “Oh my god, Levi, you actually employed an angel! That would explain why he’s so cute! And adorable! And pure, and innocent, and those little sounds that he makes? His expressions whenever I make a teasing joke about him? Aah~!” 

 

Eren made a sighing noise, like one would in a relaxing sauna or hot tub. Or a love-struck person melting in absolute adoration.

 

The rest of the household listens to him rambling with amusement levels varying. 

 

“His face is so pale and smooth, I wanna touch it! But then it turns bright red because of me and I’m like, just so  _ proud _ of myself! Like,  _ I _ caused that blush!  _ Me _ !” Eren continues. “Then he gave me his name,  _ and _ a  _ smiley _ face! He’s totally heads over heels in love with me!” 

 

“You mean head over heels.” Levi corrects as he switches to a broom. 

 

“That’s what I said, anyways-” 

 

“No, you said  _ heads _ , with an s.” 

 

“Shut up! Anyways-” 

 

“What’d you say to me, you little shit?” 

 

“Levi!!” Eren actually whines like a little kid. “Stop interrupting me! I’m not done!” 

 

“Aye, aye, aye.” Levi sighs in exasperation. He decides to just let Eren do his thing. After all, Eren may be loudly proclaiming his love (and lust,  _ ugh _ , absolutely disgusting) for one of his employees. But he’s doing it in a manner in which he’s standing (lying?) still and not causing a mess. 

 

Levi actually feels bad for Armin. 

 

Levi always knew Armin was a sweet character. A nice, hardworking boy who seems to be perfect in every field. He’s clean, resourceful, polite and crazy smart. What more do you want? 

 

So when Eren bursts open the door, nearly hitting Levi in the face, and yelled, “I SCORED SOME SWEET ASS!” and Levi suddenly remembered Eren’s constant texts, he immediately connected the pieces. 

 

Someone as sweet and nice as Armin does not deserve someone as loud and rude (and vuglar!) as Eren. Period.

 

If Levi is supposed to feel guilty over his words, he is proud to admit he's not guilty in the slightest. Not one bit. So what if Eren is his own brother? 

 

Armin is the reason Heichou’s Coffee Shop has the rare perfect five star rating, and total support of consumers from town and even far. Armin is the reason Levi hasn’t given up on this coffee shop idea yet, because Levi doesn’t see the point and still hasn’t. But it’s good business and it keeps him occupied outside of the military. 

 

Eren, however…  _ Eren _ is the reason Levi gets headaches sometimes. Eren is the reason Levi wants to go back to the military, despite the countless terrors and horrors Levi has seen and wished he had never seen before. Eren is the reason Levi wants to just scream sometimes, and Levi seems to roll his eyes more often around Eren. 

 

Not that Levi hates Eren or anything… it’s just that Eren is quite like a 2-year old who had too much sugar. And Levi can’t really handle anyone who’s mature level is too low. 

 

“...So I’m gonna go again except you’re gonna tell me everything about Armin, like everything. Then I’m gonna ask him out- and obviously he’ll say yes,” Eren smiles, showing off his perfectly straight and pearly white teeth, “I mean, look at me. I’m a catch.” 

 

“Tch.” Levi disagrees with a smack towards Eren’s head. “Don’t be stupid.” 

 

“Ow,” Eren frowns, pouting like a child as he rubs the damaged area. “Stop being so mean to me.” 

 

“Then don’t be such an idiot! You’re not gonna do anything to poor Armin, who has done nothing to deserve this!” Levi scowls. 

 

“Oh, he deserves nothing but the entire world!” Eren spouts. “The way he carries himself, and his eyes that sparkle like diamonds, and his angel-like qualities…” 

 

Levi schooled his shocked expression. That may be the smartest thing Eren has ever uttered, which is sad considering what he had said. “Since when are you such a heartful poet?” 

 

Eren sighs dreamingly. “Since I met an angel.” 

 

Levi rolls his eyes. “Ugh, ew.” 

 

Eren laughs quietly, his thoughts still completely focused on the cute barista he had met earlier. Eren begins to plan what exactly he’s gonna do tomorrow. Is he going to flirt more? Tease? Plain out ask out? What would his outfit be?

 

What would Armin’s reaction be? 

 

Would the smaller boy blush that deliciously red blush of his, and widen his already huge eyes? Would he make noises that sent Eren’s blood straight down, like the confused squeaking and surprised yelps? Would his eyes as light as a sun-lit sky blue sparkle, as the other would happily say yes? 

 

Or perhaps the barista would turn the reddest he can, and his blonde hair would shake everywhere as he makes gestures, and he rambles adorably as Eren would wait for his answer in amusement.

 

If we go with that route, then Eren would obviously shush the still rambling boy with a kiss. Nothing hardcore, no french kissing or anything. Just a simple, loving peck on the lips. Then Armin would close his mouth from shock and nod numbly, which would then earn a laugh out of Eren. Then the two would share a coffee in the sunset.

 

Eren could imagine Armin and the cute noises he makes, and the boy’s absolutely adorable demeanor, down to how his carefully put-together expression falls apart as Eren continues to tease, as he closes his eyes, blissfully imaging such a perfect future. 

 

The carefully woven, carefully imagined vision Eren has constructed suddenly cracked and fell apart when Levi decides to smack him with the broom. Eren protested loudly and angrily- he was dreaming an excellent dream, excuse you!

 

“Time for dinner, bastard.” Levi informs. “Get your ass in the dining room and, God forbids, please don’t make an idiot out of yourself in front of dad.” 

 

Eren’s protesting died in his throat. When he finally spoke, his voice was deathly still and devoid of emotions. “Dad’s here?” 

 

Levi nods sharply, expression cold and calculative. “He just came back from a long, risky, but successful surgery. He’s tired. You know how he gets when he’s like this.”

 

Eren nods slowly, his eyebrows cocking and his mood plummeting. “Great.” He growled under his breath bitterly. “That one day we’re all supposed to be together and happy. And he’s… he goes out and do something like this! He's probably gonna preach about finding a girl, or me playing too much sports, or even about not having a job yet!”    
  


“Hold your tongue, idiot!” Levi hisses, his glare shutting Eren up. “He cares about his patients a lot. Just… just don’t cause a scene.” 

 

“Hmf. He cares about his patients more than he cares about us,” Eren rolls his eyes. 

 

Levi gives him a warning glare. 

 

Eren sighs. “Fine.” He gritted out. “But I won’t be happy either.” 

 

“Trust me, Eren,” Levi sighs as he puts his broom away, absentmindedly tucking in his clothes, “no one is.” 

 

With that short exchange in mind, the two men walked towards the dining room- where Carla, Grisha, and Mikasa are already seated. 

 

Eren broke the briefest of all eye contact with his adopted sister, then glanced at his mom and shared small smiles, and then shares a nod with his father. Then he stiffly sat down. 

 

The tension from the silence is thickening, almost tangible even. Eren glances around the table. 

 

Carla is hesitantly eating the meal while Mikasa, almost robotically, eats her meal one at a time. It's kinda mesmerizing and soothing to see, the way she eats holds a special rhythm. Levi, just as robotic-like, eats. Grisha hasn’t even touched his food- which made Eren feel quite furious and annoyed. His momma had worked hard on the meal. 

 

Finally, Grisha cleared his throat, drawing the family’s attention. 

 

“It had come to my knowledge that you’re slacking in your studies, Eren.” Grisha says tightly. 

 

“They are?” Eren asked, confused. His grades are perfectly fine, last time he checked. 

 

“Yes, they are,” Grisha gritted his teeth, as if it physically pains him to speak this subject, “it is quite an embarrassment for your once perfect grades to slip as far down as a 3.5 GPA!” 

 

“A  _ 3.5 _ ?” Eren repeats incredulously. He lets his mouth hang open. “That’s still passing though! At least it’s not… at least it’s not something like a 2.0 GPA!” 

 

“Don’t talk back to your father, boy!” Grisha growls, slamming his hands on the table. 

 

Carla had dropped her utensils, cupping her mouth as tears lay in her eyes unshed. A whimper escapes her lips unheard. 

 

Mikasa stops chewing and stares coldly at their father, waiting for him to say something wrong. Mikasa has no problems decking their father in the face. She works as a bodyguard for the president, after all. She has no fears.

 

Levi glares at their father, watching coldly but doing nothing.

 

The tension thickens. 

 

“Mikasa has all perfect A’s in high school. She had a straight 4.0 GPA when she graduated college  _ early _ ,” Grisha continues, either unaware of the tension, or he’s opting to ignore it. “And she tutors you almost every chance she gets. Hell, even  _ Levi _ graduated with high honors and is now the general of a military group! Yet you still have bad grades and are jobless.” 

 

“3.5 is  _ not _ bad!” 

 

“Do not interrupt!” Grisha all but nearly yells. “If this much slacking and poor grade levels continue, then I’ll take you out of football!”

 

“Dad, you can’t do that!” Eren gasps, anger slowly taking over him. His eyebrows are drawn tightly and his lips are locked in the cruelest frown possible. “I’m their most valuable player! I-I’m the best at football!”

 

“Football is nothing but a silly game,” Grisha waves over dismissively, “what you should focus on is your studies and intelligence. I only let you play sports to improve your chances of getting into college. It’s only a mere coincidence that you like it.” 

 

“Dad, that’s unfair.” Eren tries to say calmly. Though it ended up sounding like he's constipated.

 

“Y-yes honey, he’s correct” Carla interjects rather frightfully, stuttering hard, “p-please be reasonable!”

 

“Carla, don’t intervene.” Grisha glared at Carla in such a way, she physically shrunk back on her chair. “And Eren,” he turns his attention to his only son- at least in blood. “If this decrease in grades continues, not only are you being pulled out of football, you’re also going to be pulled out of soccer.” 

 

“WHAT?” Eren yelps. “What gives? That’s not fair, dad!”

 

“I will do anything for you to get your best studies and reach your potential, Eren.” Grisha warns lightly, though his tone is absolutely cold. “And I won’t hesitate to take your sports away from you. Clearly they’re the reason you’re distracted and slacking.” 

 

“But that’s not true at all!” Eren protested bravely, trying his hardest to not show his anger. “Aren’t you proud that I’m the number one player? That your own son is the best against the entire school? That I’m the reason our college has an unbeatable record at the moment?” 

 

“It is all nothing but a silly game,” Grisha repeats, “and you will obey me before I ban you from  _ all _ sports completely. Do I make myself clear?” 

 

“But-”

 

“I said,  _ do I make myself clear?” _ Grisha slams his hands on the table once more, standing up, towering Eren.

 

“NO!” Eren says, his tone said in a way that paints Grisha as a hysterical moron-- which Eren thought is true anyway. “No, that’s not clear at all! You can’t ban me from sports just because I have a 3.5 GPA! That’s preposterous! Dad you can’t be seri---”

 

Grisha slaps Eren across the face, the smack giving a slight echo, surprising the table, before Eren could even finish his sentence. The entire table stares at Grisha in shock, but Grisha himself is staring at Eren with stormy eyes and a sneer. 

 

Eren has argued with his father a lot. They exchanged words and curses back and forth like old enemies, rather than father and son. This isn’t their first argument. 

 

However, this is the first time Grisha have ever laid a finger on Eren. Eren feels cold and burned at the same time. All the emotions in him disappeared and he feels nothing but hot anger, ready to explode.

 

“I will only repeat myself once, Eren,” Grisha says in a low voice, sending a shiver down Eren’s spine. “Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear.” 

 

Eren stares up at his own father in disbelief, his mouth open from both shock and anger. Eren was about to retort something, but then heard his mother whimpering softly, as if she’s crying. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mikasa trembling-- trying to stop herself from punching Grisha. Her fist clenches and unclenches.

 

“...Yes...father…” Eren grits out, staring at his still full plate, trying to will his tears of frustration away. 

 

“Good.” Grisha says and sits back down calmly. “Levi… I heard you opened your own coffee shop.” 

 

Eren’s ears are ringing. 

 

He barely heard Levi’s simple and gruff answer, “Yeah.”

 

He glares at his plate. How could his own father do this? To his only son who’s not adopted? To his only, athletically  _ talented, _ son? 

 

The slap still stings, but his heart pounds angrily harder. 

 

Eren hates his father.

 

It’s quite scary how quickly things had escalated. One minute he was sleeping on the couch, dreaming about the amazingly cute barista he had met earlier. The next, he wakes up to his barely around father who threatened  _ and _ physically  _ slapped  _ him. 

 

The thought of the cute barista melted away some of Eren’s anger. His stinging cheek stops throbbing. He focuses on Armin's plump lips and beautifully innocent blue eyes.

 

But the anger doesn't go away completely and Eren finds himself longing to punch his father, and maybe spit on him once or twice. 

 

* * *

 

After his father left for work, Eren immediately prepares to just get out already. However, he stayed for a couple hours helping his mother and siblings with simple chores around the house. After the awkward supper last night, no one had spoken a word to each other outside the privacy of their rooms.

 

Eren had made it very clear he hates his father and his dumb ideologies. Carla scolded him but had whimpered, as if she's afraid Grisha might've planted cameras around for later use.

 

Mikasa and Carla began to ask if he's okay, which Eren appreciates but found a bit annoying. Of course he's not. His own father had yelled at him, threatened him from his favorite things, and slapped him.

 

Levi thankfully remained silent. 

 

When they finished and Eren puts his outside shoes on, Levi finally spoke to him for the first time since supper. 

 

"Armin's working earlier today." 

 

With a grateful grin, Eren laughs his usual laugh and walks out.

 

Perhaps the stroll through the town made him relaxed, or the thought of Armin made him feel happier.

 

Eren walks inside the coffee shop and his eyes landed on the cute barista handling the cash register. All thoughts of the previous night instantly faced and are now replaced by the cutest person on Earth.

 

Armin's back was turned and it seems he's talking to coffee maker, Sasha. Eren quickly looks around and saw that the shop wasn't packed but is still far from empty. Okay.

 

Armin turns around with a smile, "Hi how may I help y-" he froze when their eyes met. 

 

Eren felt his heart pounding as the boy before him stares straight into his eyes, a blush already forming on his innocently pale face.

 

"H-how may I he-help you?" Armin gulps, and Eren lets himself follow the bob of his Adam's apple. 

 

Eren vaguely heard Sasha giggling and decided she's cool. "Hey there,  _ Armin _ ."  _ That's right you cute bitch I know your name now _ . "How you doing? You're looking a lil' flustered." 

 

Eren cringed horribly at the drawl his tone picked up on. However, when he saw Armin's red face turning redder, he grins outwardly.

 

"U-um sorry about that! W-what would you like to, um, order, sir?" 

 

Holy shit, Eren felt his blood rush south. 

 

He grins larger, to mask his internal freaking out because, well, Armin just called him "sir"! And he likes- no,  _ love _ , it! 

 

"'Sir', huh?" He repeats, then leaned forward as he lowered his eyelids, knowing he looks damn sexy. "Sounds… Just right out of your pretty little mouth." 

 

"O-oh!" The not squeaks adorable, his eyes widening. "T-thank you?" 

 

Eren has the strongest urge to pull Armin in his arms and never let go. He lets his vision of Armin wander, from the boy's cutely ruffled hair, to his extremely red face, to his nervously tapping fingers against the counter. Adorable.

 

"You're fun to tease." Eren says.

 

"T-thanks." Armin nearly whispers, as if his breath has been taken away. Duh, Eren's here!

 

Eren feels his grin widen. "Hmm…" he hums playfully, putting a finger and tapping it against his chin. "Are you on the menu?"

 

"E-eh!?" Armin jostles, his fading blush returning full force. 

 

"You heard me," Eren replies, enjoying the barista's flustered state. He smiles, watching Armin try to talk, his pretty lips moving but no sound coming out. 

 

"Yup, he is!" Sasha informs, the largest grin on her face. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two.

 

"Great, I'll have one Armin," Eren means forward to read Armin's name tag, and smirks at the squeak he got, "one Armin Arlert, please." Eren adds a wink for good measure.

 

"I, uhm, uh- er," Armin buffers, looking dazed and simply too flustered. And Eren absolutely  _ loves _ watching him stumble with his words. 

 

"Is that a yes or a no?" Please don't say no, please don't say no, ple-- 

 

"It's a yes!" Armin quickly says with an adorable tilt to his voice, then blinked cutely and flushed bright red. "I--!! Uh--"

 

“Alright then, it’s a date!” Eren says cheerfully, the words coming out before he realizes what he had said. When he does, though, he hopes his slightly panicked expression on his face goes unnoticed. He hadn’t meant to call it a date, though he wouldn’t mind one bit. He tries to quickly change the subject. “I’ll have a hot chocolate, no whipped cream this time.” 

 

Unfortunately, his plan fails miserably, because all poor Armin could focus on is the word date, which he repeats with a squeak. 

 

Eren then realized that despite all his past flirting and winks, he actually doesn’t know if Armin is into him like that or he’s only flustered because no one ever hit on him. The thought made Eren’s eyes darken and his mood deflate a bit.

 

“Unless if you don’t swing that way?” Eren asked, hoping the answer won’t be what he thinks it is. He honestly felt worse, just barely thinking about Armin being straight, than he’ll like to admit. 

 

“Oh no, no, no, no!” Armin shook his head quickly, his blonde hair waving back and forth. “It’s not that!” 

 

“So I’m not your type?” Eren asks, and he felt his frown deepening. He could he been such a forward idiot? Of course someone as cute and perfect and wonderfully amazing as Armin won’t be single, gay, or perfers guys like himself. 

 

“No!” The barista yelps. “You’re definitely my type-- I- I mean, I don’t exactly have a type, but you’re really, um, handsome a-and I won’t mind if we, I mean, like, you know… go on a, a, date?” 

 

Eren listens to the barista rambling, and he can’t help but grin hugely when he listens to the boy. He’s just so cute when he’s babbling nervously, and the way he stutters? Makes Eren learn new things about himself. 

 

Eren leans forward, dangerously close to the cutie pie before him. If he just bends closer, only a bit closer, their lips would touch. Eren wonders briefly how Armin’s lips would taste like. Would they feel as soft and plump as they look? Would they know how to kiss well, or are they fumbling from inexperience? 

 

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” Eren says in what sounds like a casual tone, but he’s actually dying inside. Partly due to his inappropriate mind and also to Armin staring expectantly at him, like an eager puppy ready to please. “What time do you get out of work?” 

 

Armin hesitated. “I-um, half past seven.” 

 

Eren pulls out his iPhone 11, sleek and beautiful and representing him very well, and looks at the time. It is only 11:54 PM, barely close to the time Armin had said. 

 

“Hm. That’s quite a while away.” Eren says, trying to do the math inside his head. So if it’s gonna be 12 in 6 minutes, and Armin gets out at 7:30, that means he has to wait about 7 hours and 36 minutes? Is he mathing correctly? 

 

“U-um, yeah, sorry,” Armin apologizes, pulling a regretful face. Eren is surprised that the innocent boy before him is even capable of negative feelings. He decided he likes Armin blushing and stuttering rather than Armin being sad. 

 

“Nah, it cool,” Eren says and realizes he’s grammatically incorrect but grins anyway. After all, he just thought of the next perfect pick up line. “I’ll wait longer than some hours just for you.” 

 

Eren loves seeing the barista’s pale white face, unharmed from the world, flushing a nice and beautiful shade of red, looking as if he’ll explode in only a few seconds. 

 

“Um, okay,” Armin stammers cutely, looking lost, “w-what would you like?” 

 

“Hot chocolate, make it as sweet as you,” Eren hopes he sounds sexy. 

 

“Sorry, even the sweetest of all sugar can’t be as sweet as lil’ Armin!” The coffee maker girl pops in, grinning wildly at Eren. The way she carries herself and her eyes shifting to the same place every so often makes Eren wonders if he’s secretly being recorded. “He’s one of a kind!”

 

Eren looks at Sasha, wondering if she’ll be a threat to the chances of him and Armin being together. Probably a small chance. But when Sasha gives him a wicked grin, and when her eyes glanced at something flashing in the background, Eren knew immediately. 

 

He is being recorded, and she isn’t a threat to them. He returns the grin. 

 

“Of course. Then regular hot chocolate- maybe also your number?” 

 

When Armin gives his change back, Eren swears he could fly and live happily forever, because their hands touched! He felt an electrical shock- cliche as it sounds- as soon as their fingers barely grazed each other. 

 

“I- um, y-your order will be r-ready soon.” Armin says, much more quieter. His eyes are focusing quite heavily at the counter, and Eren frowns at the fact that the barista is clearly avoiding him. 

 

Eren blinks at the shyness of the barista, and thought maybe he went too far? He walks over to a stool right in front of the counter, and sat on it. He pulls out his phone and started to text Levi. 

 

“Sasha, I think I’m going to die,” Eren just barely heard Armin say quietly. He had to strain to hear. 

 

Sasha, however, was much more louder. Her laugh alone was loud enough that Eren could hear easily. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, hon! Looks like he likes you a lot.” 

 

You have no idea. 

 

“And it definitely looks like you like him a lot, too.” 

 

Wait, for real? Eren stops listening for a second, and he felt his cheeks warming up. Is this how Armin felt? Eren’s heart pounded at Sasha’s words. Too dazed in the new information, Eren missed what Armin had said, but heard Sasha’s reply. 

 

“--little and innocent Armin?? Saying naughty things?? Oh no!” She dramatically gasps, draping her hands over her eyes and leaning back. 

 

Eren has no idea what they’re saying, but the word naughty reminds him of something. “Maybe he wants a punishment,” Eren calls from the stool, grinning at the madness he unleashed. 

 

Suddenly, the entire shop hoots and several guys wolf whistled, others came up to him and high-fived him, praising him for his confidence to say such things in public. Sasha was laughing loudly, sounding like she’s about to die as she wheezes. 

 

“Ho-o-o-ly shit!” Sasha wheezes almost painfully, gulping air as she holds her stomach, doubled back in her laughter. “What a- man! O-o-oh- my- god!” 

 

Eren never felt prouder of himself.

 

When he went up to get his drink, he was grinning triumptly. That was his greatest yet. 

 

“Thanks cutie,” He winks, staring at the redness that rapidly swallowed all the paleness of Armin’s face. “I’ll see ya’ at 7:30, kay?” 

 

Eren then turns around and leaves with the coffee in hand, because if he’s going to be rejected, he’ll have it through being stood up. It’s better than being rejected in front of everyone who congratulated him for the awesomeness he spewed earlier. 

 

After he finished his coffee, Eren was about to throw it away before he saw something written on the cup. He brought it to his face for closer inspections, then grins slowly as realization dawned on him. 

 

It’s Armin’s number!

 

Eren quickly saves the number under his phone, with lots of heart emojis and smiling ones, and walked his merry way. 

 

It’s as if it’s God’s way of apologizing for the day before. Or maybe Armin is simply that amazing. Whatever the case may be, Eren doesn’t care. 

 

He has Armin’s number, and they (might) go out on a date later that night. 

 

Eren coudln’t be happier his entire life. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically Grisha (Eren's dad) is super duper strict and thinks that a 3.5 GPA is bad, which he threatens to take Eren out of football if this keep up, compared the different siblings from one another, and the tension and anger grew until Eren snaps! However, Grisha is quicker and slaps Eeen across the face.
> 
> Thanks for reading, please comment and leave kudos if you haven't already. Thank you once again, and see you guys in the next update!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading this! More chapters to come! 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos, they help a lot!!


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